


Modern Love - An Arcana AU

by Starcat_Seren (kijilinn)



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Animal Abuse, Animal Shelters, Coffeeshop AU, College AU, College Theater AU, Dog Fighting, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 08:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kijilinn/pseuds/Starcat_Seren
Summary: Characters: the Arcana main six, plus Valerius and two original characters.Pairings: Muriel x OC (Seren), Asra x OC (Maverick) x Julian, Lucio x LucioSetting: Modern times, an American college town of Vesuvia.Warnings: to be updated per chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

“There’s the Scourge!” Lucio’s voice carried over the bustle of hollering football players and the rest of the team promptly picked up the chant: “Scourge! Scourge! Scourge!”

Muriel glowered at them all. He didn’t want the nickname any more than he had wanted to be the prize linebacker in the first place. If he had been consulted, he wouldn’t be playing football at Vesuvia University in the first place. He had been scouted his junior year of high school, back when he actually enjoyed playing football and the rep from VU had offered him a full ride to attend and play. His parents had been overjoyed and his life had moved forward without his consent ever since. He accepted the beer shoved into his hand by one of the younger players and shuffled his way to the side of the party. He certainly didn’t want to be subject to the team captain’s obnoxious parties, but when in Rome…

Lucio, the quarterback, dropped out of seemingly nowhere to drape an arm around Muriel’s shoulder. Muriel looked at him blandly, letting his eyes express the dry amusement that he had to be seated and Lucio had to stand in order to even allow the movement. Lucio didn’t seem to notice the look. “Scourge, it’s gonna be a great season. I can just feel it.”

Muriel made a low sound in his throat and sipped his beer. It tasted like someone had milked a skunk but it was better than the hard liquor he knew would be coming out later. More than just the team captain and quarterback, Lucio was the school’s golden child: full tuition, posh apartment paid for by his father, the dean of students, his pick of cheerleaders, and a galling sense of immunity against underage drinking, sexual harassment, and drug possession charges. Lucio could do what he wanted without a sense of worry while everyone around him either reveled in their nearness to power or partied harder to keep him from looking their way.

Muriel was decidedly in the latter camp. If he could avoid notice, he had always been happier for it. Having acquired a nickname after breaking the school records for most sacks in a season and most sacks in a single game destroyed his chances for remaining unnoticed, though.

“You should see what we’ve got going in the basement,” Lucio hissed in Muriel’s ear, a note of morbid cheer in his voice that made Muriel’s skin crawl.

Muriel turned his head just enough so he could see Lucio’s eyes and the quarterback waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “What does that mean?”

“Come see.” Lucio whistled sharply through his teeth and several of the team leaned back to see what he wanted. “We’re going down to the pits, guys. Bring your wallets.” Before he could resist, Muriel found himself swept in the press of half-drunken football players down the steps and into the basement of Lucio’s lush apartment complex. Lucio led them through a twisting, turning set of hallways until they were in front of a door with a heavy padlock on it. Lucio covered his lips with one finger, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “They’re a little shy,” he hissed and some of the players chuckled.

The sound coming from the other side of the door made Muriel’s stomach tighten: growls, whimpers, a very canine whine. When Lucio threw open the door to the room, the light in the hallway spilled onto eight kennels that exploded into cacophonous barking. Each kennel held a dog. Most of them threw themselves against the wire mesh of their kennels, big mouths impossibly wide as they snarled. They seemed to Muriel to be all head and muscular shoulders, flashing teeth and flapping, slobbery jowls. He recoiled and found himself backed up against a few of the other defensive linemen.

“Aren’t they beautiful,” Lucio crooned, then pulled a cord near the wall. Doors in the back of the kennels opened and the dogs all sprinted from their enclosures into another part of the basement. Muriel could hear them fighting and snarling, occasionally yelping as one or another fastened on. “We’ll let the handlers sort them out and then we’ll get a good look at them.”

“How…?” Muriel could hear the horror in his own voice as he stared at the quarterback. “You have dogs, Lucio. At home. How could you do this?”

Lucio looked at him blankly, then shrugged. “That’s different. These things are barely dogs anymore. They’re fighters, throwbacks to the wolves. This is what they’re bred for. It’s what they live for.” A whining yelp punctuated his statement and Muriel felt sick. Lucio strutted into the next room where his dog handlers had pulled the various dogs away from each other. Most of them were already frothing in excitement and more than one had blood on their jaws already. “Cash out, boys,” shouted Lucio, “we’re in for a show!”

When Muriel’s eyes landed on the dog in the ring, he felt the bottom drop out of his heart. The brindle and white pit bull looked up at him with agony in her expression. She was already bleeding and he could see that she dragged one of her legs like it was injured. When another dog was released on her, she cowered back and Muriel found himself launching over the railing with a bellow. He couldn’t get there before the other dog pounced on the brindle female and the big male’s grip was stronger than Muriel had anticipated. Growling and snapping, it took several seconds for Muriel to pry the bigger dog’s mouth from the female’s shoulder. He scooped her up in his arms and stomped one foot with a roar of his own when the male pitbull tried to rush him. The dog skittered away and Muriel glared up at the line of faces at the railing. “This is sick,” he informed Lucio. “I’m leaving.”

“Whatever.” Lucio shrugged and sneered down at him, but the blood drained from his face when Muriel didn’t put the brindle and white pit bull down. “Leave the dog, Scourge.”

“That’s not my name,” Muriel snapped.

“I made you!” screamed Lucio. “It’s because of me you got scouted! You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me!”

Muriel glared up at him, then slowly turned his head to the side and spit on the dusty floor. “Nobody asked what I wanted.” He looked down at the dog in his arms and cradled her to his chest before he climbed out of the pit and stormed out of the basement, Lucio’s frustrated screams echoing in his ears.

* * *

Blood had soaked into the backseat upholstery of his car when Muriel finally pulled into the parking lot outside the emergency animal hospital. When he collected the barely conscious pitbull, he realized she had peed, too. She hadn’t even bothered to sit up to do it and her legs and belly were wet. “Hang on,” he whispered to her and winced when her whip-like tail started to wag. He lifted her out of the backseat, cradling her head against his shoulder as she whined softly.

Inside the hospital, a girl a few years younger than Muriel looked up with wide, black eyes. “Hey,” she said in a gentle voice, her eyes on the bleeding dog. “And who’s this now?”

“I don’t know,” Muriel said. He looked down at the dog, a sinking feeling in his chest. He had just stolen a dog from the dean of students’ son. He didn’t even know her name. “I… she’s hurt and I didn’t know what to do.”

“Then how about you?” Muriel blinked in confusion and the girl behind the desk smiled. “What’s your name? We can at least put that much on her file.”

Muriel opened his mouth, then closed it again, chewing his lip. Finally, he said, “Muriel. Tobert. Like Robert with a T.” She scribbled down the name and then looked up at him again. “I don’t… she isn’t mine,” he whispered.

“It’s okay.” The receptionist stood up and turned just as a pair of people in scrubs came out of the back with a gurney between them. “We’ll take care of her. If you want to surrender her, the shelter has a pro-bono fund with us.”

Muriel watched the gurney, still holding the dog close to his chest. “Will she be okay?”

“We can’t know until we look at her,” one of the vet techs murmured. Her voice was warm and soothing and Muriel found himself looking up to meet her eyes. She smiled at him, blue-hazel eyes fringed with long lashes squinting slightly at the corners. “You can stay and wait if you want. We’re open all night.”

Gently, Muriel let them take the dog and place her carefully on the padded gurney. He swallowed hard, then closed his eyes and took a slow breath. “I don’t have any money,” he whispered, “and I’m living in the dorms. I can’t have a dog.”

“It’s okay,” the receptionist reassured him again.

He shook his head and opened his eyes again to find the vet tech watching him with a solemn expression. “Which shelter?” he asked.

Her answering smile said she knew why he was asking. “If the SPCA is full, I’ll take her to Critter Care myself. I volunteer out there.”

Muriel felt himself starting to smile back. “So do I. Thank you.” Critter Care was the only completely no-kill shelter in the area. While the SPCA didn’t euthanize animals on-site, they would transfer animals to high-kill shelters if they ran out of space. He paused to study the tech, started to wonder if he had seen her there before, then let it go as she and her coworker began to wheel the pitbull into the back.

“I’ll check on you when we have news,” she called over her shoulder and Muriel nodded his thanks.

Muriel lowered himself carefully onto one of the small chairs in the waiting area, listening to it creak ominously under his bulk. He waited until he was sure it wasn’t going to break under him, then relaxed with a soft sigh and stared down at his blood-and-urine-stained clothing. No amount of scrubbing was going to get the blood out of his pale blue t-shirt but he thought he might be able to save the jeans.

“Where did you find her?”

Muriel twitched and glanced at the receptionist who sat perched on the edge of her desk, eyes wide and curious. “Dogfighting pit,” Muriel replied, turning his eyes back to his hands.

The receptionist took a sharp inhale. “That’s illegal! You should report it. There were other dogs there, right?” Muriel just nodded. “You should call the police!”

Muriel closed his eyes and turned his head away. “They wouldn’t do anything.” Silence answered him and then he heard the receptionist sitting back down in her seat. After he stayed quiet a few more moments, she started to type and left him alone.

A half-hour passed before his cell phone shivered in his back pocket and Muriel pulled it out. It was a text from his roommate, Asra: _where r u?_

_Animal ER_, he texted back and smiled at Asra’s panicked triple question-mark answer. _Stole one of Lucio’s dogs_.

_y?_

_He’s fighting them._

Immediately the phone began to ring and Muriel sighed in frustration. He hated talking on the phone, but he knew Asra would feel better hearing directly from him rather than in text. When he accepted the call, Asra immediately cried, “He’s fighting Mercedes and Melchior!?”

“No,” Muriel sighed, “pit bulls.”

“What the… the hounds sleep with him! How sick do you have to be to fight dogs!? Please tell me you called the cops on him, Muriel.”

“They wouldn’t do anything,” Muriel mumbled back.

Asra sighed in exasperation, then quieted, just listening to Muriel breathe. “How bad is it?”

“Don’t know,” Muriel whispered.

“Do you want me to come down?”

Muriel grunted a negative. “I’m fine.”

“I could bring you sushi.”

The thought of eel _nigiri_ made his mouth water and Muriel sighed. “Fine. If you bring sushi.”

He could almost hear the smile in his roommate’s voice. “A triple order of _unagi,_ coming right up.”


	2. Chapter 2

Seren had seen dogfighting wounds before. Many of them were worse than the brindle female that lay on the gurney while Jeffrey checked her breathing and heart rate. What broke Seren’s heart about this case was the look in the young man’s eyes when the receptionist, Cindy, had suggested that they would transfer the dog to a potentially high-kill shelter if he didn’t claim her. When Jeffrey slipped an oxygen mask over the dog’s face, she whined softly, and Seren reached out to rub the back of her head. “Good girl,” she crooned, and the dog’s tail flapped once against the table. 

“She’s a sweetheart,” Jeffrey murmured as the oxygen and anesthetic took over, and the dog relaxed into unconsciousness. “I find it hard to believe someone would fight a dog this good-natured. She should be in a home somewhere.”

“They all should,” whispered Seren and her coworker nodded grimly. 

“You’re really going to take her to CC?”

Seren smiled and glanced up to see Jeffrey watching her with an amused curl to his lips. “Probably not,” she admitted, rubbing the dog behind the ears. “She needs rehab, time to get well again in a quiet environment.”

“Pizza crusts at four AM and a nice spot on the quilt.”

“That, too.”

They lapsed into silence as they ran the dog through a battery of x-rays and blood tests to determine how bad her condition really was. “She’s had a litter,” sighed Jeffrey as he tapped one of the abdominal x-rays. “Not recently but she’s had one in the past.”

“Her puppies might still be back there,” Seren whispered. “I hope the police bust that son-of-a-bitch.”

“They won’t.” The techs looked up as Cindy slipped back into the exam room, two bottles of water in one hand and a bag of pretzels in the other. She handed over the water and put the pretzels on a tray nearby. “I talked to the guy who brought her. Well, kind of talked to him anyway. He’s really quiet. He said he didn’t report it because the police wouldn’t do anything. Probably one of the rich kids from the college.”

Seren felt herself deflating at the thought. “So they’ll just keep doing this. I wonder if he’ll go back and try to rescue more of them.”

“A guy that size, they probably won’t even let him back in the house,” muttered Jeffrey. “I’m surprised he got close enough to get this one.”

“He’s the Scourge.” Cindy opened the bag of pretzels and chewed on one thoughtfully. “From the football team. I thought I recognized him.”

Jeffrey grunted. “So that narrows down the suspects at least. It’s probably Morga’s kid, the quarterback.”

Seren looked down at the dog, slowly stroking one hand over her soft ears. “I’m going to go check in with him,” she said after a moment, and Jeffrey nodded absently as he collected his equipment to re-break and set her gimpy hind leg. Seren slipped away. In the waiting room, she paused to study the scene in amusement. 

The muscular football player had been joined by a willowy young man with a fluffy shock of platinum white-blond hair. He sat on the floor, and a wealth of sushi and sashimi was spread out between them on a chair. As she approached, the smaller man looked up with a bright grin and held up a hand. “Hi. I’m Asra, Muriel’s roommate. How’s the dog?”

Seren floundered for a second and glanced at Muriel, who was focused on the piece of raw salmon hanging from his _hashi_. It looked like he wasn’t used to using the traditional sticks for eating without simply stabbing one end into whatever he wanted. “She’s… well, it’s not great. She’s got a few broken ribs that look like old wounds and her back leg was broken and didn’t heal properly. We’re going to have to break it and re-set it. She’s dehydrated and malnourished, so we put her on an IV for fluids and nutrients. The bite on her shoulder needs stitches, but it’s the minor thing, all things considered.”

Muriel made a soft, miserable sound in his throat and glanced at Asra without speaking. Asra met his eyes, nodded, and said quietly, “She’ll be okay, though?”

“With time,” Seren said and sighed. “She really needs a quiet place where she can recover.”

“So, not someplace like a shelter,” Asra said.

“Right.” Seren studied Muriel’s face as he sucked soda through a straw, his eyes half-closed and his expression tight. “You said you lived in the dorms?” she asked him.

“Yup.” Asra pulled his long legs up to his chest with a sigh. “We would take her, but it’s not like you can hide her under the bed or in a clothes drawer.”

Seren slowly glanced from Muriel to Asra and back again, wondering. She knew she had heard Muriel talk before. Did he only talk when Asra wasn’t around to speak for him? “Well, I said before I’d take her to Critter Care myself if the SPCA couldn’t take her. I’m thinking about taking her home with me for now, just until she’s better. Then I can bring her to CC, and they can look at getting her adopted.”

That caught Muriel’s attention, and he blinked at Seren. She was briefly unnerved by the realization that he was the same height sitting in the chair as she was standing. “Who pays her bill?” he asked softly.

Seren thought of her dwindling check account. Between paying for school and paying her rent, she hardly had the cash reserves to pay for the emergency visit. She swallowed hard, then pushed herself more upright. “I will.” For the next six months, plus interest.

“Lucio’s the one who should be paying,” growled Asra. 

“But then he’d want her back,” Muriel all but whispered, and Seren winced at the misery in his voice. He looked at her again, unshed tears hovering in his eyes. “I’ve got a little money,” he whispered. “Can I give you something to help?”

Seren opened her mouth to refuse when Asra chirped, “Yeah, take you to dinner sometime, maybe?” His expression was pure mischief, and Muriel’s face flushed a dark red immediately as he looked away. 

“I…”

“Shut up, Asra,” growled Muriel. 

“It’s okay,” Seren said in a rush, feeling the heat in her own cheeks. “I’ll be fine. I’ll manage for a while and then see if CC can reimburse me for foster care or something.” She paused, and Muriel tilted his head a little, peeking at her from under his long, dark hair as it fell into his face. “Thank you, though. I appreciate the offer.” She smiled at him and was surprised to see his lips curling a little at the edges like he wanted to smile back. He blushed harder and looked away instead. “Anyway, she’s fine and in good hands, if you want to go home and get some rest.”

“Can I see her?” Muriel asked. 

“She’s asleep,” said Seren with a shrug. “You can come and pet her a little, but she won’t remember it.”

“That’s okay.” Muriel glanced at Asra and muttered softly, “Nobody does anyway.” Puzzled, Seren turned to lead them back into the exam room. Muriel stood to follow with Asra fading into his shadow. 

In the backroom, Jeffrey had finished re-setting the dog’s leg and stitching up her bite wound. He looked up as they came into the room. “You really are the Scourge,” he said, sounding startled. Muriel tilted his face away from the comment, and Seren watched his expression warring between shame and fear. “Hard to mistake anybody that tall.”

“She’s right here,” Seren said in a soft voice, and Muriel glanced at her with thanks in his eyes. He followed her to the exam table where the dog lay unconscious under a blanket. “We’ll keep her overnight on fluids and see how she is in the morning,” she explained. “If she’s okay to be moved, I’ll take her home with me and call CC in the afternoon sometime.” 

“What are you going to call her?” Asra’s voice drifted from behind Muriel and Seren glanced at him in surprise. She hadn’t realized he had followed them in.

“I don’t know,” she said, feeling a little foolish. 

“Inanna.” Muriel ran his hand along the dog’s neck with a small smile.

Seren chuckled. “The goddess of beauty, fertility, and war. I suppose there’s some merit in that.” Muriel’s eyes found hers and Seren shrugged, blushing. “I took a few mythology classes in college.” Slowly, his smile widened, and he just nodded. “I can give you my number,” she added and then felt her cheeks heating up even more at the amused expression on Asra’s face. “So you can call and check on her.”

Muriel opened his mouth like he would refuse, but Asra jumped in quickly to say, “Yes, that would be lovely, he would love to have your number.” Muriel made a disgruntled sound and glared at him. “What?” Asra said with a bright, impish grin. “You would.” He looked back at Seren and stage-whispered, “He won’t call you, though. He hates talking on the phone. Can he text?”

Blushing, Seren nodded. “Texting would be fine.”

“About Inanna,” Muriel broke in firmly.

“Of course,” said Asra with an innocent blink. “What else?”

Seren tried to suppress the grin that crept across her face. “You’re trouble, aren’t you?”

“It’s practically my middle name.”

“Should be first,” grumbled Muriel and Seren laughed. The sound seemed to surprise him, and he blinked at her for a second before smiling. “Thank you,” he murmured.

“Of course,” Seren smiled. “It’s my job.”

* * *

Nadia’s phone began playing “I’m Too Sexy,” and she rolled over on the bed to glare at it. “Never again am I letting him touch my phone,” she growled as she reached for it to answer. “What do you want?”

“Where does Scourge live?” demanded Lucio.

“You should keep better track of your pets,” Nadia hissed and paused at the sound of something being dropped in the bathroom, followed by a startled squeak. She sighed and shook her head in frustration. Why the roommate roulette had stuck her with a freshman, Nadia would never understand, but it was her own fault for staying in the dorms as a junior. “Are you alright, Portia?” she called.

“Fine!” the younger girl’s voice caroled back, sounding embarrassed. “I’m fine!”

“I know you know, Noddy,” Lucio whined on the phone and Nadia rolled her eyes. 

“Why do you want to know?”

“He took one of my dogs.”

Nadia paused and let an almost feline smile curl her lips. “Good.” She allowed Lucio a few seconds of outraged sputtering before she said, “I told you what I think about that bloodsport bullshit months ago, Lucio. It’s a shame he didn’t get all dogs out.”

“They’re MY dogs!” protested Lucio in a shrill voice. “Who cares what I do with my stuff?”

“Human beings,” grumbled Nadia. “People who actually care about animals. You shouldn’t be allowed to keep those dogs. You should be banned from owning animals at all, Lucio. You’re a menace to everything that breathes.”

“But you still love me, right?”

Nadia closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. She and Lucio had been dating for several years now, mostly at the request of their parents. Lucio’s parents thought that Nadia might keep some of their son’s more violent proclivities under control and Nadia’s parents thought Lucio might get Nadia out of the dorms occasionally. While Lucio was clearly invested in the relationship, Nadia could barely stand to carry on a conversation with him. It wasn’t hatred so much as a nagging irritation like what you might feel for a lumpy mattress that’s just past its warranty: annoying, but you make do. Keeping Lucio happy meant keeping her parents happy, so Nadia gritted her teeth and said, “You know I do. You just frustrate me sometimes. I really don’t like that you’re making those dogs fight like that, Lucio. It’s cruel.”

“I’m not making them do anything!” A note in his voice made Nadia cringe. He was smiling. “I just let them work out their differences on each other.”

“It’s cruel, Lucio,” she repeated more quietly. 

He made a reluctant, whining sound in the back of his throat, then sighed explosively. “Okay, fine. Scourge can keep that one.”

“And you’ll stop fighting the others?”

“Noddy—”

“Please, Lucio.” Nadia leaned on the “please” and was gratified to hear the break in his voice when he answered.

“Fine. I’ll bring ‘em to the shelter or something.”

“Thank you.”

They were both quiet for a moment. Nadia watched her roommate coming out of the bathroom, her curly red hair heavy and wet, and her cheeks brilliantly pink from the hot shower. She smiled at Portia, who grinned and waved back. “If you’re making me get rid of my dogs,” Lucio said finally, “what do I get in return?”

“Coffee at The Shop?” Nadia offered. 

“Will you get mad if I flirt with the chick with the green hair?”

“No, but she will.” Nadia grinned at the disappointed sigh across the line. “Thank you, Lucio. I really mean it.”

He paused and then murmured, “You’re welcome, Nadia.” There was real affection in his voice that pulled on Nadia’s heart, and she closed her eyes. If only he weren’t such an insufferable asshole, she might actually fall for him. “I’ll pick you up after Theater class tomorrow?”

“That sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Love you.”

“You, too.”

When she had put the phone down again, Nadia looked up to see Portia watching her with an earnest expression in her shining blue eyes. “You don’t really love him.”

“No,” Nadia agreed with a sigh. “I don’t. But he’s convenient, and monthly dinners with the Dean of Students mean I get to suggest some things other students wouldn’t be able to.” She shrugged with a small smile. “Lesser of two evils.”

Portia snorted and rubbed her hair dry with a towel, leaving it snarled and wild around her face. “Some evil.”


	3. Chapter 3

Asra’s phone rang, and he picked it up without bothering to check who it was. “Hello?”

“Please tell me Muriel’s finished with the assignment in Physiology.”

Asra rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you pre-med?” 

“So?”

“Why are you asking to crib off the sports medicine major?”

“Because he didn’t spend all weekend doing research.”

“Seeing how far you can suck Marcia Han’s tongue into your mouth is not research, Julian.” Asra glanced over to where his roommate was passed out in a massive heap of fuzzy blankets. “I think he’s finished, but he’s asleep now.”

“Did he print it out?”

Asra huffed, “I don’t know, Julian. I’m not taking the class. I don’t even know what this assignment was.” On his bed, Muriel shifted with a low grunt and curled up tighter under the mass of fleece blankets. “Were you supposed to print it?”

“No,” Muriel grunted from his nest. “You upload it to the dropbox. The deadline was last night, midnight.” Asra watched as one blanket lifted enough to show his roommate’s green eyes peering out blearily. “There’s a thumb drive in his mailbox.”

“Did you get that?” asked Asra.

“Why’s it in the mail?” cried Julian and Asra could hear him bouncing off the walls as he sprinted through a hallway somewhere. “Ouch. I never check my mail!”

“Your loss,” Asra chuckled, and Muriel snorted once before subsiding back into his nest. “I have to go get ready for work. Good luck.” 

“Asra—”

Before he could say anything more, Asra ended the call and shook his head with a smile. “Julian’s screwed. Again.”

“You’d think he’d learn,” mumbled Muriel. He poked his head up again. “Do you have to work?”

“Yeah, but not until four.” Asra stood up and stretched his arms over his head with a long growled sigh. “I was thinking about calling Seren and asking about Inanna.” Muriel sat bolt upright on the bed, his face flushed and Asra grinned at him. “I see that got your attention.”

Muriel looked away and drew his knees up to his chest under a blanket. “I was paying attention.” When Asra didn’t say anything, Muriel peeked at him nervously. “You serious?”

“Yeah.” Asra flopped down on the edge of Muriel’s bed. “You should just ask her out, Muriel. I think she’d say yes.”

“Why would I do that?” Muriel fell over sideways like a boulder rolling down a hill. “I just want to see the dog,” he mumbled, his face half-covered by a pillow. 

“Why do you keep lying?” Asra asked him. Before Muriel could react, the smaller man scrambled over his hip and had crawled under the blankets behind him. Asra poked his head over Muriel’s side, one corner of a fleece hanging down his forehead. “You like her. I’m pretty sure she likes you, too. Ask to meet her at the dog park for coffee or something.”

“I just want to see the dog,” Muriel repeated.

“Then ask the dog out on a date.” Asra poked him in the side and Muriel squirmed. “The number of people you can have a conversation with is still fewer than can be counted on both hands, my friend.” After a few seconds of silence, he whispered, “You could ask the cards.” Muriel went very still, and Asra waited.

“I don’t need your cards to know my future,” Muriel growled. “I’ve already seen it.”

Asra sighed. “The Hermit doesn’t mean that, and you know it.”

Muriel huffed and glared at his friend over his shoulder. “I’m not talking about the Hermit.”

Asra shifted to rest his chin on Muriel’s arm, his violet eyes keen and focused. “I wish you would teach me the runes. You see so many different things than I do, and I don’t understand why.” Muriel shrugged, making Asra’s head wobble. “I’m just saying you don’t have to be alone, Muriel. Not if you don’t want to be.” 

Slowly, the bigger man rolled off the bed and left Asra in a heap under the blankets. Muriel turned to walk into the bathroom but paused to look back and mumble, “I want to be. How many times do I need to tell you that?”

“At least once more,” Asra said with a small smile. Muriel let out a puff of breath, but there was warmth in his eyes as he slipped out of the room.

* * * 

Seren’s phone buzzed with a text, and she glanced at it. Asra’s number flickered on the face, and she smiled quietly. In the three weeks since Muriel had brought Inanna into the emergency vet, Asra had texted her every few days. Mostly, he just seemed to want to chat, a friendly sort of banter that kept the lines of communication open for whenever he felt like asking, “So, can we come see Inanna?” Seren didn’t mind. She enjoyed talking with Asra and had enjoyed even more the few shy words she had managed to draw out of Muriel. As for the dog herself, Inanna was in her glory. She was still splinted from having had her leg re-broken, but she got around Seren’s tiny apartment without problems, her tail almost constantly swinging with joy. Seren had had to remove anything fragile from shelves below her own waist height after she lost a few ceramic candle holders and a tiny snow globe. Inanna slept on the bed with Seren, snuggled up tight to her side and Seren had had to admit to herself and her coworkers that she was never letting that dog go.

Today, the text from Asra was simple: _coffee at the shop bring Inanna?_

_You only love me for my dog_, she texted back with a chuckle.

_& ur smile_

_What time?_

_4?_

_I just got off work and need a nap, so I’ll be there sometime after that._

_K. See u. Muriel says hi_

_No, he doesn’t._

_To Inanna._

Seren chuckled and shook her head as she put her phone away and stretched her shoulders. She made a kissing sound with her lips, and Inanna’s head came up off the floor in excitement. “Ready for a nap?” she asked the dog and patted the side of the bed. In a flurry of limbs and lashing tail, the pit bull flopped down beside her and Seren threw one arm across her ribs with a long sigh. “I’m glad you got out,” she whispered. Inanna wriggled and licked her face before settling down with her head on the pillow. 

A few hours later, a cold nose pressed into her neck made Seren jerk into consciousness again. Inanna huffed at her, then thumped her tail. Slowly, Seren reached for her phone to check the time and smothered a yawn. It was a quarter to four. “You can tell time, can’t you?” she asked the dog as she rolled out of bed and began hunting for clothing that didn’t look slept in. When she was dressed and had brushed out her hair, Seren picked up the leash and clipped it to Inanna’s collar. “Let’s go see your boyfriend, then,” she murmured, and they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

The Shop was a neighborhood coffee shop about three blocks from Seren’s apartment. More than a few college kids worked there in ever-rotating shifts of sleep-deprived, anxiety-riddled automatons with the occasional Asra or Maverick thrown in. Seren tied Inanna to one of the wrought iron cafe tables under an umbrella and slipped inside with one hand raised. “Hey, Maverick.”

“Serenita!” A slender girl with a wild shock of blue-green hair threw both hands into the air. “You came! Asra said you might.” She paused to look at the baffled man in front of her. “That’ll be eight-sixty. Can I get your name?”

Seren chuckled as she took her place in line, shaking her head. She had met Maeve Richards—Maverick to her friends—during the last semester of her caffeine-soaked bachelor’s degree. Maverick had kept her in espresso even when her credit card started coming back declined. Seren was pretty sure she wouldn’t have graduated with the grades she had without Maverick’s cheerful smile and a steady stream of cafe mochas. 

Maverick herself was a dance major, and she had the lean, muscular grace to prove it. Seren watched while her friend wrote a name on a paper cup and handed it to Asra, who was working the espresso machine like a pipe organ. With the scream of steaming milk as a background, Maverick whirled back to the counter to take another order. When it was her turn, Seren smiled at Maverick. “Biggest cup I can find, mocha, double chocolate and a shot of raspberry,” her friend said with a grin.

“A large is fine,” Seren grinned back. The line had slowed, and she leaned one hip against the counter to watch Asra making her drink. “Inanna’s outside,” she said. “I’ll go out and sit with her unless Muriel wants to keep an eye on her for me.”

“He’s already there,” chuckled Maverick, lifting her chin toward the window. Seren looked back and shook her head with a smile; Muriel’s head and shoulders could be seen through the window as he crouched down to pet the wriggling pit bull. 

“Don’t let him stop you,” Asra added. Seren raised an eyebrow. “He wants to see you, too.”

Seren sighed and gave Asra a long, appraising look. “No, he doesn’t. We all know that. If you walk on two legs and require verbal speech to communicate, Muriel doesn’t want to see you.”

Asra shrugged as he added the whipped cream and pushed her cup across the counter. “Muriel doesn’t know what he wants,” he whispered, and Seren could hear the sadness in his voice. “He thinks he wants to be alone.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Seren replied. “I’m not going to force him to be around me if it makes him uncomfortable.”

“But he actually smiles when you’re there.” 

Seren blinked and gave him a puzzled look. “What?”

“It’s true,” whispered Maverick. “I’ve seen him do it, too.” When Seren started to shake her head, Maverick sighed and leaned across the counter. “He likes you, Sue. And you like him, too. Why is that so hard for both of you to get your heads around?”

Seren smiled and shrugged. “Maybe because he only comes around if the dog is there.”

“Go out and talk to him,” urged Asra. “Please? He’s killing me with his mopey homebody routine.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay home,” sniffed Seren.

Before Asra or Maverick could reply, the bell over the door rang, and a cluster of people came in. A few of them Seren recognized as cafe regulars, including Portia and her roommate, the stately, aristocratic Nadia. Someone in the group broke away for the bathrooms and Seren stepped back to let the newcomers have a shot at the counter. 

Slowly, she made her way back to the window and peered out to where Muriel was seated on the pavement in the shade of the umbrella, Inanna’s big head in his lap and his hand on her shoulder. They both looked so peaceful. Seren let out a long sigh through her nose. She would be lying if she said she didn’t want to get to know Muriel better. 

While she was considering what to do, Muriel’s head turned slightly, and he looked up at her through the window. Seren felt her cheeks heating up, and her eyes darted away, hunting for anything to look at other than the handsome man and her dog. A knuckle tapped the window, and she jumped with a squeak. Muriel was barely smiling up at her and tilted his head, a clear invitation for her to join him. She swallowed her embarrassment and slipped outside to sit beside the table to which she had tied Inanna. “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hey.” Muriel didn’t look at her, his attention mostly focused on rubbing Inanna under the chin and chest. “You came.”

“I told Asra I would.”

Muriel made a thoughtful noise in his throat, his eyes still on the dog. He ran his thumb and forefinger along Inanna’s ear, and the dog almost gurgled her delight, slumping against his thigh. “We’re…” Muriel started and cleared his throat, his face blooming red. “A couple guys in the dorms are… planning to set up a basketball hoop. If you want to come to watch…”

Seren stared at the side of his head in stunned silence. Was he actually inviting her to come to watch him play? “I didn’t know you played basketball.”

“I don’t,” he said quickly, then peeked up at her through his hair. His eyes seemed tired like this much conversation was taxing him beyond his reserves. “I like to watch, though.”

Slowly, Seren let herself absorb what he was saying. “When?” she finally asked him and smiled at the slow, embarrassed grin that stretched his cheeks.

“Tomorrow night?” Muriel said. “After dinner?”

“I have to work late, but I can come by for a while.” Seren glanced down at Inanna. “Could I bring Inanna and leave her with you overnight? I think she’d be happier with the company, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

“If the RA says it’s okay.” Muriel shrugged his big shoulders. “Sure.”

“Okay.” Seren blushed and settled back in her chair to sip her mocha. After a moment, she said, “Did you want something to drink?”

Muriel waved a hand as he rocked up to his feet. “I’ll get it.” He paused, and they looked at each other for a long moment before he added softly, “I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here,” Seren smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Julian rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, then exhaled sharply and studied himself in the bathroom mirror. The blue-grey eyes staring back were only slightly red-rimmed, a testament more to good breeding than any level of restful sleep in the last five years. He shook out his shoulders, rubbed his hands over his face and struck his best pose, grinning at the mirror. “Well, hello. Yes, I’d love a latte.” He leaned in to growl suggestively, “A latte you.” 

He paused and dropped the pose with a miserable sound in his throat. Why was he even trying this? He knew what was going to happen. It was the same thing that happened every time he actually felt invested in someone: they would laugh at him, and he’d get tongue-tied and trip all over himself until he could slink away and sulk for a few weeks. It didn’t help that Asra was out there. Julian closed his eyes tightly against the barrage of memories that came with the thought. They had been so close for almost two years and then… it was like Asra had just gotten bored and dropped him like so much dead weight. 

Before the thoughts could drag him any deeper into a depressive spiral, the cell phone on the side of the sink screamed, “ILYA! WAKE UP!” Julian glared at it, but couldn’t stay mad about the ring tone his sister had recorded on his phone. Portia always knew the best ways and times to poke him to make him feel better. “What?” he snapped as he picked it up, doing his best to sound annoyed.

“You aren’t a failure, you goob. Stop sulking and get out here,” Portia said. “She’s being super cute and flirty, and her hair is teal today. Teal, Ilya. She’s gorgeous. You need to see this.”

“Pasha—”

“No.” Portia’s voice was sharp and crisp. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop sabotaging yourself. Get out here and buy me a latte.”

Julian sighed but couldn’t keep the smile from curling his lips. “Fine. Just stop yelling at me.”

“Peppermint. Triple whip.”

“I know, I know.” Julian ended the call and studied himself in the mirror one last time. He wet his hands and combed his fingers through his hair, trying to style it without much success. For all the people he’d flirted with or superficially dated, Julian knew Maverick was different. As he slipped out of the men’s room to find his place in line, he let his eyes wander across her. She moved like poetry, poise, and grace in every movement that seemed at odds with the happy, wild laughter that she gave so freely. She was beautiful, of course, but in a way that defied easy description. Watching her was like the cool of spring rain on his face.

Asra reached to accept the cup she passed him, and Julian’s mood immediately soured. They worked well together, Asra moving into whatever space Maverick allowed him like he expected her like they were partners in a dance for which they alone knew the steps. Julian could feel his mouth watering a little, wishing he knew how to cut in. In that split second, he wasn’t even sure which direction he wanted to cut. Did he want to dance with Maverick? Or Asra?

Maverick was smiling at him, and Julian realized he had blanked out for a few seconds, his brain tangled in painfully bisexual knots. His cool was blown long before he had ever managed to pull it together. “Did you need something, Mr. Devorak?” Maverick chuckled. 

“Coffee,” he managed to squeak miserably. “And… and a latte. Peppermint. Triple whip.”

“What kind of coffee?”

Asra’s glittering eyes caught Julian’s, then half-closed with a smirk that sent chills down Julian’s spine. Utterly thrown off balance, he stuttered nonsensically for a moment until Maverick just laughed, “Decaf, I would assume.”

When Asra joined her in her amusement, Julian felt himself wilting. “Just… black,” he managed in a small voice. “Regular. It’s fine. Thanks.” He gathered himself to slip out of the way and wait but not before he heard Asra and Maverick exchange quiet words and laughter. Who was he kidding? He was just a joke to both of them. It didn’t help that more than a few people had seen them flirting with each other. Just what he needed: his ex and his crush as a sexuality-bending power couple.

A hand touched his shoulder, and Julian startled out of his brooding thoughts to see Nadia smiling at him. “Cheer up,” she murmured. “You look like you’ve lost your best friend.”

“I did,” Julian replied in a low voice. Nadia’s eyes widened, and he shook himself, pushing away the mood to give her one of his more normal—albeit artificial—smiles. “It’s hard not to cheer up when you’re around, Nadia. Is Portia letting you sleep?” 

“When she isn’t snoring,” Nadia said with an enigmatic smile.

“Ilya!” called Asra from the pick-up counter. 

Julian tried not to cringe at the familiar name in Asra’s mouth. He slipped sideways to collect his coffee and Portia’s latte, keeping his eyes on Asra’s hands rather than his face. Not that looking at his hands helped banish the thirsty memories crowding his head. “Thanks.”

“Ilya,” Asra repeated softly, this time with gentle worry in his voice. Julian twitched and almost tipped the paper cup of coffee over. Asra reached to steady his hand and sighed quietly. “Careful.”

“I’m fine,” Julian said and pulled his hand out of Asra’s reach. 

“When did you sleep last?”

Julian shot his friend a glare and Asra’s eyes were sad. “None of your business,” Julian hissed, trying to sound angry and only hearing the bitter loss in his own voice. 

“You’re blowing a point-one on caffeine, aren’t you?”

Julian growled at him and took the cups to stalk across the cafe. Nadia followed him and seated herself gracefully across the table as Julian handed the latte to his sister. “Peppermint, triple whipped cream,” he muttered and folded himself into a chair.

With a series of atrocious screeches, Portia scooted her chair around the table until she could put her head on her brother’s narrow shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispered, and he sighed, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. 

“You’re welcome.”

***

Asra finished the last espresso shot and called the name Maverick had scribbled on the cup. When he passed it over, he glanced at Maverick where she was leaning on the counter, a contented grin on her face as she watched the tables of customers around them. He smiled in spite of the worry still bubbling in his chest about Julian. Her teal hair had been something of a surprise this afternoon: when he had seen her last week, her hair had been dark auburn with purple streaks. It wasn’t that surprising that she had changed it, though. Her hair changed color about as frequently as her clothes. Asra stepped over to lean on the counter beside her. “Want to take a break?”

“I’m good,” Maverick said, still smiling. “What’s with Julian?”

Asra sighed, and his partner turned her head to catch his eye. “I think… he likes you.” 

“You make it sound like a death sentence.”

Asra almost choked on his breath and glared at her while Maverick gave him a sunny smile. “It’s not. It’s just that he… doesn’t do well in one-sided relationships.”

“Who said it was one-sided?” Maverick turned to look back over the cafe. “I like him, too.”

Something rough on the counter captured Asra’s attention and he picked at it with a fingernail. Tape, probably from an old sign. “Be careful with that.”

“With what?”

“Liking Julian.” Maverick raised an eyebrow and Asra smiled at her with a shrug. “He tends to take ‘liking’ to extremes sometimes.”

Maverick chuckled and leaned closer to him. “If by ‘liking’ we’re talking about wanting to pin him to the wall and kiss him until he passes out from lack of air…”

“He would definitely enjoy that,” Asra said, unable to keep the smirk from curling his lips. “He doesn’t… like casually, though.”

“Not what I’ve heard.”

Asra made a sound in his throat, thoughtful and frustrated. “When Julian spends the weekend sucking some girl—or boy’ s—face off, that isn’t him liking them. It’s him keeping himself occupied.” He glanced at the curious expression on Maverick’s face. “When he likes you, it borders on obsession, Maeve. I’m really serious about this. Be careful.”

Maverick was quiet for a moment, then let her eyes slide across the cafe to find where Julian sat with Portia snuggled against one arm and Nadia laughing at some joke. He seemed comfortable enough at the moment, even happy. “You guys were a thing for a while, weren’t you?”

“Mmm.” Asra nodded and hummed an affirmative. “We were roommates freshman year. Things got…uh, really hot and we were really close for about two years.”

“What happened?”

Asra glanced at her with a small smile. “I got a job,” he said in a soft voice.  
Maverick raised her eyebrow in confusion. “I thought this was your first job.”

“It is.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Maverick started to shake her head. “Don’t you dare tell me that meeting me killed your thing with Julian. That’s not fair.”

“It’s not,” Asra said quickly, waving a hand. “I’m not saying that. I’m saying I got a job. I suddenly didn’t have time to keep a needy boyfriend happy between classes, homework, and working here.” When Maverick let out a relieved sigh, Asra smiled and leaned his shoulder against hers. “A little full of yourself, aren’t you?” Maverick made a rude sound with her tongue, and Asra laughed. He sobered quickly before adding softly, “I had to make a decision between Julian and everything else in my life. To be really honest, I still love him. I just can’t live like that.”

“He was too much for you?” Maverick asked with a teasing lilt to her voice. Asra gave her a narrow-eyed stare, and she grinned, bumping against him. “You think he’d be easier to handle if you weren’t the only one?”

Asra blinked. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

Maverick shrugged with a small smile. “I dunno about you, but I’m poly. The more, the merrier.”

Asra studied her face and then looked out to study Julian. “I’m not sure how capable Julian is of sharing,” he admitted in a small voice. “I’m not even sure how capable I am of it.”

Without turning her head, Maverick leaned her cheek against his shoulder and whispered, “Do you want to keep me all to yourself?”

Asra tilted his head, smiling slowly. “Is that what we’re talking about?”

“I just asked about Julian.”

“Uh-huh.” They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes. The evening lull was settling in. Not that many people came seeking coffee during dinner hours, so it was just them and their friends. Outside, Asra could see Muriel and Seren sitting side-by-side on the pavement. Muriel’s shoulders weren’t hunched forward as far as they usually were and he could barely see the top of Seren’s head over the edge of the windowsill. They were sitting very close together, probably close enough to be touching arms. “Want to go to a movie sometime?” Asra murmured softly. “We could double-date with Seren and the mountain.”

“I think I’d rather fly solo first.” 

“Yeah?”

Asra held very still while Maverick stood up a little straighter and leaned in to brush her lips against the edge of his ear. “Yeah. I’d kinda like to keep you to myself. At least at first.”

“I think I like the sound of that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Asra grinned and turned his head so his lips could find hers. They kept it soft and brief, barely touching before they pulled away again, both blushing. “This weekend?”

Something crashed, and Portia cried out, “Shit!” 

They both looked up just in time to see Julian sprinting out the door. Nadia and Portia were struggling to clean up his spilled coffee with napkins. “I’ll get the mop,” sighed Maverick. 

“I’ll… call Julian,” Asra murmured back.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” 

He shrugged with a sad smile. “Better to call him now than let him stew in it.” He touched her shoulder lightly. “I’ll be back in fifteen.”


	5. Chapter 5

“I remember you.”

Muriel opened his eyes and turned to study Seren. Inanna huffed out a happy sigh and wriggled in his lap as he considered what to say. The setting sun painted her face in shades of bronze and autumn orange, highlighting the blondest strands in her hair, so they almost flashed gold. He had liked the way she looked before spending time with her, but mostly just the way he acknowledged aesthetic value. He liked her now like he enjoyed sunsets, crisp mornings in the woods, the pristine calm of winter’s first snowfall. “Nobody remembers me,” he finally said, one hand rubbing Inanna’s neck.

Seren smiled without looking at him. “Maybe I’m wrong,” she murmured with a shrug, “but I think I remember seeing you at the shelter. You said you volunteer there, too, right?”

Muriel made a quiet, affirmative sound in his throat. Inanna lifted her head and looked up at him adoringly, thumping her tail against the pavement. He smiled and ran one hand under her neck until he was holding her head in his palm. “Sometimes,” he said after a while. “Dogs like me.”

“Obviously.” Seren shifted slightly beside him, and Muriel looked up. Her blue eyes shone like stars. “Dogs aren’t the only ones.”

He could feel his cheeks heating up, but he smiled at her, and she smiled back. “I like you, too,” he whispered, almost afraid to put a voice to the words. He leaned a little closer just as she did the same, the warmth of the air between them comforting and quiet.

A shrill sound pierced the air and Inanna popped up in Muriel’s lap, her lips peeled back from her teeth in a wild snarl. “There’s my baby!” Lucio trilled, and the dog snarled again, lurching forward half a step until Muriel caught a firm grip on her collar. “Don’t tell me you’re not happy to see Daddy.”

“Get lost, Lucio,” Seren hissed in a voice Muriel barely recognized as hers. She stood up slowly, and from the set of her shoulders and back, she was just as ready to fly into the football player’s face as her dog. “She’s mine now. The license on her collar? In my name.”

Lucio looked her up and down with a look of disdain wrinkling his nose. “Who are you?”

“I’m the vet who patched her up.” Seren took a step forward while Inanna’s growl punctuated her words. “I’m the one who fed her back to a normal weight. I’m the one who helped her up and down the stairs for three weeks while her broken leg healed. I’m the one who paid for her spaying.” She bounced forward a little more, and Lucio blinked, backing up. “She’s my dog. Take a flying leap.” 

“You had her fixed?” Lucio’s expression was sour. “Damn. Her pups were great fighters.”

“Were?” Red tinged the edges of Muriel’s vision as he stood up to join Seren. Lucio had the sense to look nervous as he stared up into Muriel’s stormy expression. 

Before the confrontation could go any further, the bell over the door jangled and a fast-moving blur of limbs and auburn hair collided with Lucio, sending them both sprawling into the street. Lucio screamed, and Julian yelped as they hit the pavement. “Get off me, you idiot!” Lucio screeched and swung one arm at Julian’s face.

Julian managed to get his hands up in time to block the haphazard blow, then floundered back to his feet as Lucio came at him again. “It was an accident!” Julian cried. “Calm down!”

“You calm down!” screamed Lucio and threw a solid punch for Julian’s head. The eight-inch height difference made the aim more for Julian’s throat than his face and Muriel roared, finally grabbing hold of Lucio’s arm and half-lifting him from the ground.

“Enough!” 

“Ilya!” Portia rushed across the pavement to examine her brother frantically, her hands finding his face, dusting off his clothes, checking his hands for bruises or cuts. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he sighed. He tried to brush her off, but Portia clung to him like a burr. “Pasha, stop. I’m wonderful.”

Muriel kept Lucio’s arm firmly over his head and glared. “Back off. Go home. Nobody wants you here.”

“Lucio?” Nadia came over from the cafe door, her hands clasped in front of her, and a worried expression furrowing her brow. When her boyfriend swung to face her, the worry faded and was replaced with irritation and disgust. “What’s going on?”

“I came to pick you up,” Lucio informed her and tugged helplessly on his arm. Muriel continued to glare without releasing him. “And then I saw these two clowns here with my dog.”

“My dog,” snapped Seren and Muriel growled his support.

“You told me you were letting them go,” hissed Nadia and Lucio looked chagrinned. 

“I… I was. I was gonna.”

“You were. But you didn’t.”

Lucio wouldn’t look at her for a moment, then lifted his chin in arrogant defiance. “I paid for them. Some of them, I bred myself. Why shouldn’t I keep them?”

“When you treat every animal as well as you treat your sighthounds, then you get to keep them,” spat Nadia and Lucio looked away, flushed and sullen. After a long moment, she sighed and looked up at Muriel. “You can let him go, Muriel. I’ll take responsibility for him.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Asra murmured softly, and Nadia gave him a grateful smile where he stood in the doorway to the cafe. 

“No,” she sighed, “but we take the burdens we’re given.” Muriel took his time letting Lucio go, and Nadia collected her sullen boyfriend into a hug. “I’d like to see them,” she purred, and Lucio brightened. “Will you show me the dogs? And then we can take them to the shelter together.”

Lucio seemed less enthused by the latter part, but he nodded. “Sure. My car’s over there.” He led Nadia away while she threw a quick, reassuring wave to the others over her shoulder.

When Lucio’s sleek sports car had roared away, the remaining group relaxed and studied each other. “That was fun,” grumbled Julian.

“Where were you going in such a hurry?” Seren asked him. She stood beside Muriel with one hand on his forearm, and Inanna’s leash wrapped firmly around the other. Finally realizing that she was touching him, Muriel regarded her hand with a thoughtful half-smile. Seren tried to take her hand back, but he put his other hand over hers, holding her there. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered, and she blushed.

Thrown back to his mindset as he exited the cafe, Julian’s eyes darted to where Asra stood, then away again. “Just needed to leave,” he rasped, “that’s all.”

“Ilya,” sighed Asra and Julian flinched away from him, eyes down.

Strained silence seemed to crystalize on every surface until Portia chirped, “So, who’s trying out for Valerius’s revue? I heard he’s trying out some new material this year.” 

“Not that you would know what last year’s material sounded like,” Julian said, a small smile creeping across his face. “Valerius doesn’t know a good musical if it bites him.”

“Valerius has different musical tastes than most,” said Asra in a carefully diplomatic voice. Julian snorted, and Asra grinned, unable to keep his amusement inside. “Okay, yes, most of what he produces tends to sound like a goose sexually molesting a dying cat.”

“He writes solos for Lucio?” giggled Portia and even Muriel smiled.

“But,” continued Asra, “a truly gifted performer can rise above that.”

“Says the man who hides in the sound booth.” Julian gave Asra a pointed look, and Asra smirked back.

“Someone has to try to save the audience.”

“Let’s go back inside,” said Seren with a soft nudge of Muriel’s arm. 

“What about Inanna?” he asked.

“I won’t tell anyone if she doesn’t pee on the floor,” Asra said cheerfully. He glanced at Julian, worry still hovering in his eyes. “Can I get you a fresh coffee, Julian?”

“I…” Julian hesitated, then glanced from Asra to Portia’s hopeful eyes. “Sure,” he sighed, and his sister beamed up at him before hugging his arm tightly. 

***

It wasn’t fair.

They were his dogs. Even the neutered bitch. 

He didn’t care who got in his way.

He wanted what was his.

Scourge had stolen her. It wasn’t fair.

Lucio jerked out of his thoughts when Nadia’s hand touched his forearm. “The light’s green,” she murmured softly, and he looked up to see the green traffic light swinging from the wires overhead.

“I knew that.” 

The car roared away from the intersection and Lucio resumed gritting his teeth together. He had forgotten his promise to Nadia about bringing the fighting dogs to the shelter. They were too much fun to just get rid of, and he’d spent plenty of cash getting them and the pens set up. Not that money was an issue. They were still his property, though.

He pulled into the parking garage of his building and got out. Nadia paused like she was waiting for something, then got out and followed him as he headed for the elevator. He punched the button to take them to the penthouse. Nadia stood beside him, as poised as always. Lucio glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and felt the irritation starting to ease. She was so pretty. They were such a great pair. Everyone knew it, and he loved that everyone knew it.

“You haven’t come over much lately,” he observed.

“I’ve been in class,” Nadia replied. Without looking at him, her lips dimpled into that little smirk that drove him crazy. “Some of us actually want to earn our good grades.”

“I get fantastic grades!” Lucio protested, and Nadia shook her head. “Doctor Vladimir was just saying how good my digestion was in Biology.”

“You mean dissection?”

“Whatever.” Lucio strutted into the penthouse when the elevator stopped with Nadia trailing behind him. Camio immediately began to scream from his cage, and Lucio grinned, walking over to open the door and let the cockatoo hop onto his arm. “Did you miss me?”

“Forget me!” screamed Camio, flapping his wings wildly. “Forget me! Forget me!”

“I didn’t forget you.” Lucio stroked the bird’s crest, and Camio settled down to croon contentedly under his attention. “See,” Lucio said as he turned back to Nadia, “animals love me.”

“Of course,” said Nadia blandly. “The pit bull sitting in Muriel’s lap was just growling and snarling at shadows.”

Lucio glared at her and petted Camio once more before letting the bird settle on his cage again. “That’s different. Animals can read how people feel about stuff. She was just angry because that girl was riled up.”

“Of course,” repeated Nadia. 

Mercedes and Melchior poked their heads out from the bedroom and then wagged their way across the penthouse for cuddles. Their approach seemed to put Nadia in a better mood than Cambio, and Lucio watched her face blossom into a genuine smile. 

She’d smile for the dogs. Did she smile for him like that?

“You wanted to see where I’ve got the pits, right?”

Nadia’s smile faltered, and she looked up at him while Melchior licked up the side of her face. “I want to see you putting those dogs in a car and bringing them to a shelter,” she said quietly. “Unless you’re going to have a pack of pit bulls running through the penthouse all the time.” Mercedes sneezed loudly, and Nadia sputtered, wiping dog snot off her cheek. 

“Of course not.” Lucio shifted his hips and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the wall for a second. “Fine. I’ll get Valente to pull the van around, and we’ll pack them up tonight.” He sneaked a look at Nadia’s face and swallowed hard when he saw her smiling up at him. 

Like she smiled for the dogs.


End file.
